Collapsible container comprising a container base and four collapsible lateral walls

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a collapsible container having a container base and four collapsible walls. The catch mechanism for the lockable lateral walls in their upright assembled condition is a resilient pivotable lock member contained within a recess of the lateral wall having a projecting tongue latching member that cooperates with opposing ramps of a locating lug located on the adjacent wall member to lock the adjacent walls to each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/EP/03/00006 filed on Jan. 2, 2003, which claims the benefit ofGerman Patent Application No. 102 00 070.0 filed on Jan. 3, 2002.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a collapsible container according to thepreamble of claim 1.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Collapsible containers of this type are widely used in trade because thecontainers can be reduced in size simply by folding the walls inwards ontop of each other towards the base, while providing ample transport andreceiving volume when the lateral walls are folded outwards into anupright position. Containers of this kind have a container base that isusually rectangular, to which are hinged the edges of the collapsiblelateral walls, by articulated hinges or by integrally molded-on filmhinges. When in the folded out or upright position, the lateral wallsare interconnected by a snap-in catch, with appropriate snap locks onone pair of opposing lateral walls engaging behind corresponding latcheson the other pair of opposing lateral walls. However, releasing thecatch on this type of collapsible container in order to convert thecollapsible container from its service condition with upright lateralwalls into the collapsed position with folded-down lateral walls isoften problematic. Depending on the design of the collapsible container,folding the lateral walls upwards towards the snap-in catch in order toform the collapsible container is often awkward also, for those who areunfamiliar with the catch mechanism, it is frequently difficult toaccomplish. Moreover, some containers give the impression of being veryunstable when assembled, because the snap-in catch is not sturdy. Often,the lateral walls of the assembled container are not held firmly by thesnap-in catches and therefore remain wobbly. When handled, theseassembled collapsible containers are rickety and often collapse byaccident, which is of course extremely annoying.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a collapsible container withlateral walls that can be folded upwards into an upright position, whichensures that the container's upright-folded lateral walls areinterconnected by very sturdy snap-in catches and which permits simplereleasing and locking of the lateral walls in their collapsed andupright-folded positions, especially for large collapsible containers.

According to the invention, the catch members are configured as pivotinglocks mounted in opposing side walls. Each pivoting lock is expedientlyshaped as a circular-sector component and mounted on two oppositelaterals walls. A pivoting lock of this kind immediately conveys to anon-specialist how to actuate the locking and release mechanism, namelyby appropriate rotary movement of the pivoting lock. It is also easy toconvey this information visually to the user of the collapsiblecontainer, for example by means of an arrow painted on the pivoting lockor otherwise applied thereto.

The pivoting locks are preferably mounted on the short lateral walls ofthe container. When the lateral walls are to be collapsed, these shortwalls are folded towards the base first, and then the long lateral wallsare folded down onto the collapsed short walls. The pivoting locks areconveniently mounted at the two upper edges of the short lateral walls,in particular at the two upper corner areas of the lateral walls.

Rotation of the pivoting lock is accomplished via a pivot pin whichsimultaneously serves as a connecting member for mounting the pivotinglock on the lateral wall.

To this end, the pivoting lock is configured with a pivot pin providedwith latches. The pivot pin of the pivoting lock is engaged in acorresponding bushing in the lateral wall. In the engaged position, thepivoting lock can then be rotated about the axis of the pivot pin tounlatch the lateral wall for folding the wall towards the base. Ofcourse, it is also possible to configure the pivot pin on the longerlateral wall with the bushing also mounted on the longest lateral walls.

The locking mechanism works via projecting locking tongues configured onthe pivoting lock and engaging behind corresponding locating lugslocated on the longest lateral walls, on the adjacent side of thecorner. The pivoting lock is opened against a pretensioning spring,which, as the pivoting lock is opened, is pressed against a stop andthus pretensioned. When the pivoting lock is then released, the lockingtongue extends again automatically and the pivoting lock moves into itsrest position. Releasing the lateral walls for folding purposes thusonly necessitates manually rotating the pivoting lock, which is easilyaccomplished by gripping a grip member on the pivoting lock and swingingthe grip member upwards; simultaneously with the rotary movement, thelateral walls can be collapsed inwards. According to anotherconfiguration or embodiment of the locking mechanism, the openingmovement can also ensue by swinging the grip member sideways ordownwards; here too, the lateral walls can be collapsed inwardssubstantially simultaneously. When the pivoting lock is thereafterreleased, the spring pretensioning force causes it to return to itsstarting or rest position, in which the locking tongues are extended. Ifthe collapsible container is to be converted from its collapsedcondition to its service condition with upright walls, it is merelynecessary to fold the two long lateral walls upwards, followed by thetwo short lateral walls. The locking tongues are pressed inautomatically when the ramp surfaces on the front of the locking tonguesascend the ramp surfaces located on the locating lugs, during thismotion the springs become pretensioned. As soon as the locking tongueshave moved behind the locating lugs, locking of all of the lateral wallsensues automatically. This is because the pivoting lock is rotated bythe spring tensioning force that has built up, and the locking tonguesare extended to engage behind the locating lugs. Suitable detent membersare expediently attached to the lateral walls on the other side of thecorner, resulting in a sturdy snap interlocking connection between thecollapsible lateral walls, which accordingly do not wobble. Theinvention is characterized by very easy handling as far as releasing andlocking the lateral walls in upright position, and it also guaranteesvery secure snap connections between the walls, which prevent wobblingof the lateral walls. Actuation, that is, opening and closing, of thecollapsible container also ensues automatically by appropriate actuationon the part of the user of the collapsible container, by gripping thepivoting locks and rotating them to release the locking tongues and inturn the lateral walls can then be collapsed inwards onto the base. Toassemble the container in its service form, it is only necessary to foldthe lateral walls upwards. Locking of the lateral walls to form sturdy,snap-in connections ensues automatically, without the need for manualoperation of the pivoting locks, ascent ramps or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention is describedwith reference to the drawings, which are purely schematic and intendedas examples.

FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective view of the corner area of acollapsible container, and depicts the pivoting lock according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the pivoting lock as viewed from theinside of a container;

FIG. 3 shows an analogous perspective view of the pivoting lock of FIG.2, but from the front side or outside of the container, which is visiblefrom the exterior;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the collapsible lateral wall, inwhich the pivoting lock of FIGS. 2 and 3 is accommodated;

FIG. 5 shows a partial view of an adjacent collapsible lateral wall, onthe other side of the corner, which serves as a detent for the lateralwall shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the pivoting lock memberis designated generally by the reference numeral 1. The pivoting lockmember 1 is accommodated in a first collapsible lateral wall 2, which,in the embodiment illustrated, is one of the short lateral walls of arectangular container made up of four collapsible lateral walls.Although not illustrated in the drawings, the collapsible lateral wallsare hinged via suitable hinge joints or molded-on film hinges to thebase of the container and can be folded inwards, one above the other. Todo this, first the opposing short lateral walls 2 are folded inwardsonto the container base, then the two long lateral walls, which arelikewise opposite each other and are adjacent to the short lateral walls2, are folded inwards, on top of the folded-down short lateral walls 2,onto the base. The second lateral walls, also referred to here as longlateral walls, are denoted by the reference numeral 3.

To accommodate the pivoting lock member 1, the first collapsible lateralwall 2 is provided with a corresponding complementary recess 4. This isespecially apparent from FIG. 4. When inserted into the recess 4, thepivoting lock member 1 is advantageously mounted within the recess 4such that it is substantially flush with the short lateral wall 2 anddoes not project beyond the exterior surface thereof. For mounting, thepivoting lock member 1 is configured with a pivot pin 5 that has a latch6 at its free end. In the embodiment illustrated, two opposing,flare-shaped latches 6 are provided. Via this pivot pin 5, the pivotinglock member 1 can be inserted and locked in a bushing 7 configuredwithin the recess 4 in the first collapsible lateral wall 2. Toaccomplish the insertion of the pivoting lock member 1 into thecomplementary recess 4, the pivot pin 5 is provided with a throughradial slot 8, so that, when the pivot pin 5 is being inserted into thebushing 7, the pivot pin 5 can be pressed together to some extent. Assoon as the latches 6 have been pushed through the bushing 7, the pivotpin 5 expands again on account of the elastic restoring forces. Thepivoting lock member 1 is thus releasable by reversing this procedure,but is at the same time firmly and sturdily locked with the firstcollapsible lateral wall 2 in which it is nevertheless rotatablymounted.

As is apparent, the pivot pin 5/bushing 7 connection described hereforms the pivot center for the pivoting lock member 1. As is best seenin FIGS. 2 and 3, the pivoting lock member 1 is configured as acircular-sector-shaped component, the center of which is formed by thecentrally disposed pivot pin 5. For purposes of actuation, the pivotinglock member 1 is provided, behind a grip recess 9, with a grip member 10within a grip ledge. The pivoting lock member 1 is additionallyconfigured with a projecting locking tongue 11, which, in the lockedposition illustrated in FIG. 1, engages behind a locating lug 12 on theadjacent long lateral wall 3 on the other side of the corner (see FIG.5). As best seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, both the projecting lockingtongue 11 and the inwardly-projecting locating lug 12 on the adjacentlong lateral wall 3 have an inclined ascent ramp or ramp surface 13 and14 respectively, which have matching gradients. Locking ensues onaccount of two contacting surfaces, namely the surface X on the longlateral wall 3 (FIG. 5) and the surface Y on the pivoting lock member 1or its projecting locking tongue 11 (FIG. 2). In the locked positionillustrated in FIG. 1, the pivoting lock member 1 is pretensioned by apretensioning spring 15 which, in the embodiment described, is eithermolded integrally with the pivoting lock member 1 or is otherwisemounted thereon. In this embodiment, the pretensioning spring 15 isconfigured as an arcuate flexible tongue. This pretensioning spring 15interacts with a stop 16 on the first or short lateral wall 2. As shownin FIG. 4, this stop 16 is configured as a U-shaped molding whichprojects into the recess 4. Once again, the stop 16 is expedientlymolded integrally with the short lateral wall 2. When the pivoting lockmember 1 is in the installed position, the free end of the pretensioningspring 15 abuts the stop 16. In the locked position, the two surfaces Xand Y abut against each other, and the short and long lateral walls 2, 3are held in the upright position. By opening the pivoting lock member 1,rotating it counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 1 in the direction ofarrow 17 the two surfaces X and Y rotate away from each other to allowthe short and long lateral walls 2, 3 to be collapsed. On account of itspreviously described pretension, the pretensioning spring 15 springsinto its rest position. During closing of the short and long lateralwalls 2, 3, the rotary movement is generated automatically by the rampsurfaces 14 and 13 by lifting the grip member 10 to move the projectinglocking tongue 11 away from the locating lug 12. By way of the rotarymovement one defines, so to speak, the position of a “surface”, as aresult of which a form closure is created. To release the pivoting lockmember 1 from the position illustrated in FIG. 1, the grip member 10 isrotated about the pivot pin 5 in the direction of arrow 17; as a result,the pretensioning spring 15 is tensioned against the stop 16. With thisopening movement in the direction of arrow 17, the projecting lockingtongue 11 is released from its locking position behind the locating lug12, so that the first short lateral wall 2 can be collapsed inwards ontothe base of the container. If one lets go of the grip member 10 here,the pivoting lock member 1 moves in the opposite direction of arrow 17,i.e., in the engaging position of the projecting locking tongue 11,because of the spring tension that has built up. This does not hinderthe opening movement, however, because the short lateral wall 2 hasalready collapsed down towards the base, and the projecting lockingtongue 11 has already passed over the locating lug 12.

If the container is to be assembled again, the short and long lateralwalls 2, 3 are snapped into locking position. The two short lateralwalls 2 are folded upwards; shortly before the upright position, theramp surfaces 13 of the projecting locking tongues 11 reach the inclinedascent ramp 14 of the respective locating lug 12, causing the pivotinglock member 1 to rotate automatically in the direction of arrow 17. As aresult, the projecting locking tongues 11 pass behind the locating lugs12 and then, on account of the spring tension, engage. This happensbecause while the projecting locking tongues 11 are ascending thelocating lugs 12 via the ramp surfaces 13 and 14, the respectivepivoting lock member 1 is swiveled in the direction of arrow 17, therebypretensioning the pretensioning spring 15 so that, after passing overthe locating lugs 12, the pivoting lock members 1, which are preferablymounted at the two upper edges, i.e., at the two upper corner areas ofthe two first, oppositely disposed short lateral walls 2, can bemoved—thanks to the pretensioning spring 15—into the snap-in positionbehind the locating lugs 12. This configuration ensures a very securesnap connection for the assembled short and long lateral walls 2, 3,these being snapped very easily into locking position by folding theopposing short lateral walls 2 into the upright position. The pivotinglock members 1 need not be actuated to do this.

To limit the movement of the pivoting lock member 1, an arcuate guideelement 18, in the form of an oblong hole, is configured within therecess 4, into which guide element 18 a catch member 19 configured onthe pivoting lock member 1 or mounted thereon engages. The ends of theoblong guide element 18 thus limit the movement of the pivoting lockmember 1.

The pivoting lock member 1 is expediently coupled with a safety catchthat prevents the pivoting lock member 1 from opening and thus preventsthe first collapsible lateral walls 2 from accidentally collapsing whenseveral containers are in stacked position. The safety catch isexpediently configured as an upwardly projecting locking pin 30 locatedon the upper edge of the pivoting lock member 1, approximately at theposition indicated by 20, and in particular being configured integrallywith the pivoting lock member 1. When the pivoting lock member 1 movesin the direction of arrow 17, thus releasing the locking mechanism, thelocking pin 30 moves upwards out of a corresponding opening 32 at theupper edge of the first collapsible lateral wall 2. However, themovement of the locking pin 30 is blocked by the base of the containerstacked above the container in question, so that the pivoting lockmember 1 of a stacked container cannot be rotated in the direction ofarrow 17 and thus opened.

In order to ensure that the assembled or upright short and long lateralwalls 2, 3 are securely locked in position, the second lateral walls 3are expediently provided with detent members against which the uprightfirst collapsible lateral walls 2 abut. This arrangement prevents thelatter from swinging further outwards. To this end, as is seen in FIG.5, detent ridges 21 are configured immediately behind the locating lug12. It is useful here if the detent ridge 21 has an opening 28, forexample a slot, so that the position of the pivoting lock member 1 isapparent from the exterior. This is easier if the projecting lockingtongue 11 has different colors. Additional detent members 22 and 23 withgroove-like recesses 24 and 25 are configured at the upper and loweredges of the long lateral wall 3. When the container is assembled,corresponding flexible elements 26 and 27 on the first short lateralwall 2 move into these groove-like recesses 24 and 25, thus ensuringsturdy and reliable snap-in connections between the upright short andlong lateral walls 2, 3. This is of substantial importance for customeracceptance of collapsible containers of this kind.

The pivoting lock members 1 are expediently of integral configuration,being made, in particular, of plastic, and engaging as a singlecomponent in the complementary recess 4 in the first collapsible lateralwall 2. This facilitates both the production process and use. Theadvantage of the pivoting lock member 1 consists in that a catchmechanism is provided which is very easy to operate and which permitssecure locking and releasing even of large containers, especially largecontainers measuring 60×80 cm or more. Just a single action and a singleoperation, namely gripping and rotating the pivoting lock member 1 usingthe grip member 10, are required to release and simultaneously collapsethe short and long lateral walls 2, 3 in the direction of the base. Theshort and long lateral walls 2, 3 also engage automatically with eachother when they are folded upwards to assemble the container, which isof substantial importance for customer acceptance of this catchmechanism and of the collapsible containers. This system simultaneouslyguarantees a very sturdy container configuration of upright, mutuallyengaged lateral walls.

1. A container comprising: a container base; and four lateral walls;each said lateral wall of said four lateral walls being hinged to saidcontainer base and collapsible inwards onto said container base; twofirst opposing lateral walls of said four lateral walls, each firstlateral wall of said two first opposing lateral walls having a recesslocated therein, said recess positioned adjacent an edge of each wall ofsaid two first opposing lateral walls; and a bushing-type openingmounted in said first lateral wall, said bushing-type opening positionedwithin the confines of said recess; a resilient pivoting lock membermounted within said recess of said first lateral wall, said resilientpivoting lock member having a pivot pin mounted in said bushing-typeopening for mounting said resilient pivoting lock member in said recessof each wall of said two first opposing lateral walls for pivotablemovement relative to said first lateral wall; and a projecting tonguelatching member; and two second opposing lateral walls of said fourlateral walls, each second lateral wall of said two second opposinglateral walls having a locating lug spaced a predetermined distance froman edge of said second opposing lateral wall, said locating lug havingopposing ramped surfaces thereon; such that each said wall of said twofirst opposing lateral walls are releasably lockable with a respectivewall of said two second opposing lateral walls whereby as each wall ofsaid two first opposing lateral walls are moved from a collapsedposition adjacent said container base to an upright position, saidprojecting tongue latching member of said resilient pivoting lock membercooperates with one of said ramped surfaces of said locating lug mountedon each respective wall of said two second opposing lateral walls, topivot said resilient pivoting lock member in one direction and furthercooperate with a second ramp surface of said locating lug to pivot saidresilient pivoting lock member in an opposite direction and snap lockinto place, in an upright position, behind said locating lug at theedges of each of said two second lateral walls for purposes of lockingsaid four assembled lateral walls.
 2. The collapsible container asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said resilient pivoting lock member of eachsaid first lateral wall is attached to a respective one of each saidsecond lateral wall via said pivot pin/bushing connection.
 3. Thecollapsible container as claimed in claim 1, wherein in order toaccommodate said resilient pivoting lock member, said bushing-typeopening is provided in each said first lateral wall, said resilientpivoting lock member configured with said pivot pin member for insertinginto said bushing-type opening; and wherein said pivot pin furthercomprises a plurality of flare-shaped latches mounted at one end; and apair of radial slits whereby the diameter of said pivot pin can bereduced elastically to allow insertion of said pivot pin into saidbushing-type opening and said plurality of latches on said pivot pingrip of each said first lateral wall from behind when said pivot pin isseated, thus locking said pivot pin in position.
 4. The collapsiblecontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient pivoting lockmember is configured as a circular-sector-shaped member around saidcentrally mounted pivot pin.
 5. The collapsible container as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said resilient pivoting lock member is mounted in saidrecess of each said first lateral wall in such manner as to besubstantially flush therewith.
 6. The collapsible container as claimedin claim 1, wherein in the locked position, said resilient pivoting lockmember is pretensioned.
 7. The collapsible container as claimed in claim6, wherein said resilient pivoting lock member further comprises apretensioning spring; and each said first lateral wall further comprisesa stop configured in each said first lateral wall.
 8. The collapsiblecontainer as claimed in claim 7, wherein said pretensioning spring ismounted in spaced relation to said stop such that when said resilientpivoting lock member is in the disengaged position, that is, with anopening movement of said resilient pivoting lock member, said resilientpivoting lock member is pretensioned in the direction of the locking orengaging position.
 9. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 1,wherein said projecting tongue latching member in the engaged position,engages behind said locating lug on said second lateral wall.
 10. Thecollapsible container as claimed in claim 7, said projecting tonguelatching member further comprises opposing ramped surfaces on a forwardedge thereof, and wherein said ramped surfaces on said locating lug havecomplementary ascent ramps in the form of inclined surfaces, such thatwhen said first lateral wall is folded upwards, said resilient pivotinglock member is rotated by said projecting tongue latching member as theyascend said complementary ramps of said locating lug, and saidpretensioning spring is tensioned against said stop while building uprestoring forces, whereby said projecting tongue latching member engagebehind said locating lug when said first lateral wall is in an uprightposition.
 11. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 7, whereinsaid pretensioning spring is shaped in the form of an arcuate flexibletongue.
 12. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid resilient pivoting lock member further comprises an actuating gripmember.
 13. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 3, furthercomprising a catch member mounted on said resilient pivoting lockmember; and an arcuate guide element in the form of an oblong holelocated in said recess of said first lateral wall, said arcuate guideelement limiting the rotary movement of said resilient pivoting lockmember in both directions of rotation.
 14. The collapsible container asclaimed in claim 13, wherein said resilient pivoting lock member furthercomprises a safety catch mounted in an upper edge of said first lateralwall such that when said resilient pivoting lock member performs anopening movement, said safety catch moves in an upward direction fromsaid upper edge of said first lateral wall in such manner that if acontainer is stacked on top of the container in question, the exitingmovement of said safety catch and hence the opening movement of saidresilient pivoting lock member is blocked by said top container.
 15. Thecollapsible container as claimed in claim 14, wherein said safety catchcomprises a pin or bolt member mounted integral with said upper edge ofsaid first lateral wall and extending into said recess in a directiontowards said resilient pivoting lock member.
 16. The collapsiblecontainer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one detentmember mounted along an edge of said second opposing lateral wall inspaced relation to said locating lug of said second opposing lateralwall said at least one detent adjoining the corners of said firstlateral wall and said second opposing lateral wall when said first andsecond lateral walls are in an upright position.
 17. The collapsiblecontainer as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one detentfurther comprises a detent member mounted adjacent said locating lug.18. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 16, wherein said atleast one detent comprises additional detent members located at theupper and lower edges of said first lateral wall said additional detentmembers cooperating with said second lateral wall to connect thereto.19. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 18, wherein saidadditional detent members are configured with grooves and said secondopposing lateral wall further comprises complementary flexible elementslocated at the upper and lower edges of said second lateral wall toengage said configured grooves of said additional detent members to forma tongue-and-groove connection when said four lateral walls are in anupright position.
 20. The collapsible container as claimed in claim 1,wherein said resilient pivoting lock members are each mounted in anupper corner area of the respective said first lateral wall of saidcollapsible container.
 21. The collapsible container as claimed in claim17, wherein the distance between said at least one detent member andsaid locating lug is essentially corresponding to the width of saidprojecting tongue latching member for wobble-free arrangement.